Canada falls to China in Wheelchair Basketball

Above: Legal’s Arinn Young – file photo

by Morinville News Staff

It was disappointment for Legal’s Arinn Young and other members of Team Canada at the 2015 Women’s U25 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship.

Team Canada fell 75-57 to host China at the Championships in Beijing July 1.

“We came out very strong, the girls were ready to go work, and we played our best basketball,” said Simon Cass, assistant coach of Team Canada in a release Wednesday. “But we were not able to sustain our energy throughout the whole game.”

Canada lead the opening quarter, outscoring China 22-14 after 10 minutes of play. But China responded in the second frame, taking a 36-31 lead by halftime. China carried that momentum through the second half as the Canadians struggled to contain Tian Jiao Lei, who delivered a game-high 35 points for the Chinese team.

Despite the mid-week defeat, Canada rebounded with improved play following an opening day loss to Great Britain.

“We did a much better job in transition against China and we were able to stretch the floor effectively,” said Team Canada player Erica Gavel.

Legal’s Arinn Young shot 5-for-6 (83.3 per cent) from two-point range and tallied 12 points. Maude Jacques, Élodie Tessier and Rosalie Lalonde of Quebec were the offensive catalysts for the Canadian side, Jacques and Tessier each producing a team-best 15 points. Lalonde added another 13 points.

The loss to host China put Canada at 0-2 at the world championship. Their third game was set for Wednesday night against Japan. The top four teams in round-robin play advanced to the semifinals July 5.

The Women’s U25 World Championship is held every four years, and Canada is one of six countries competing for the world title from June 30 to July 6 in Beijing. Canada earned its spot at Worlds by placing fourth as the host nation at the inaugural world championship for junior women in 2011 in St. Catharines, Ont.